Strawberry and Cream
by Danamaru
Summary: Mulder invites Scully over and feeds his mind in the process


Author: Danamaru  
  
Title: Strawberry and Cream  
  
Rating: PG   
  
Category: MSR Mulder POV  
  
Spoilers: Big ones for Je Souhaite! A few for All Things -   
Due to the recent discussions at HOF on the time frame of   
Hollywood A.D I have left this ep out! Also, I am going on the   
idea that M&S didn't sleep together in Je Souhaite or All   
Things.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, makin' no money, please don't sue,   
CC you should be honoured that we all want write about your   
little creation.   
  
Summary: Mulder invites Scully over and feeds his mind in   
the process.   
  
Distribution: I've done Gossamer and Ephemeral, anywhere   
else would be great.  
  
Author's Notes: This one started off on Mulder's thoughts.   
I have to admit, working with Mulder and his mind can create   
many things, so much that he led me to this title. Padgett's   
character, the psychic surgeon was right, it is the character's   
who write the story, the writer merely follows.   
  
Special Thanks: To Tara, I think your little "inspiration"   
comment could just have released me. You are my new Genie:)  
To Sarah, without you I would probably never have posted this.   
  
Feedback: I would really appreciate some comments on this one -   
I have been under the spell of the writers block for some time   
and I think when the Genie was unleashed, something let go   
inside me too! Email Danamaru1@yahoo.co.uk or visit my website   
for other stories http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/badblood/  
  
****  
Mulder's Apartment  
****  
  
"Caddyshack, Mulder." Scully proclaimed as he passed her   
a bottle of beer and sat down beside her on his couch.   
"That's such a typical guy movie."   
  
He answered her with his usual quick response, the one that always   
had his mind imagine a licked finger drawing down an invisible piece   
of glass.   
  
"Well, next time you invite me over to your apartment, we can watch   
Steel Magnolias."   
  
Scully screwed the top off the bottle, threw it and hit her aim for   
the bin in the corner. Mulder followed suit, but failed miserably   
as the bottle top landed helplessly on the floor. This action brought   
a small chuckle from Scully as she took a swig from her bottle.   
  
He pouted slightly at his failed attempt and leaned back in the chair.   
This was nice, just him and Scully sitting here sharing something   
resembling a normal life.   
  
He had decided shortly after he had released the genie from her   
hell that it had been the right thing to do, and although he   
could have used his last wish to better his personal life,   
he knew it would have to happen naturally.   
  
For seven years they had built a trusting and respectful relationship   
without the help of the supernatural, well maybe not completely without,   
when it really came down to it, the X-Files had drawn them together in   
the beginning and had kept them there ever since.   
However, no working environment can hold two people together for this   
long as they have both done. The connection is chemistry,   
the X-Files is the loosely fitted rope.   
  
As they talked about why she was here, what the Genie meant to him and   
her telling him that she was fairly happy. He was content.   
He enjoyed making her happy. For all the hurt that had been caused   
in her life, she deserved it, and in the process of his quest for   
Scully's happiness he was happy too.   
  
Of course, he wouldn't show her the white picket fence, with a dog   
and a huge house that's hard to heat in winter. That would be too   
unnatural, too obvious for him. He would have to start at the   
beginning, building towards something resembling her dream of the   
fence and the dog.   
Movies are good. They are the beginning for two people to get   
away from everything and be close together in the process.   
  
Even if he did pick a guy movie on purpose to entice her argument,   
he had to, he couldn't let them completely change.   
Giving each other their side of the story is what they do best,   
is what they are most comfortable with. Besides, he had to admit   
a secret admiration for Chevy Chase.  
  
As the movie trailed on and his train of thought weakened to actually   
paying attention to it, he reached for the bowl of unbuttered popcorn.   
Eating this stuff without butter was almost as painful as watching   
Scully eating her non-toffuti rice dreamsicle. But as always,   
he respected her wishes, seven years had taught him enough about   
Scully's eating habits that he should have seen this one coming.   
  
He watched from the corner of his eye as Scully reached for the bowl   
and dug deep, popping pieces of popcorn into her mouth. He had always   
been fascinated by the way she ate things. The way her mouth went   
to a pout as she chewed slowly, acknowledging and savouring the   
food that was being swirled about inside her mouth.   
  
It was the small things about this woman that were taken as a   
mental note inside his mind. During their infrequent visits to   
normality, he noticed more, payed more attention. How her hair sat,   
short and simple. How it seemed to almost halo her face, reflecting   
light perfectly, creating just the right shadows to complement her   
porcelain skin. That skin, so pure and creamy without flaw.   
  
She was in terms of defintion - Strawberry and Cream.   
  
The perfect combination, sweet tasting, with a hint of a bite inside   
that kept enough distance from one devouring it all at once.   
So delicious that it must be savoured so not to be disappointed.   
  
He tilted his head back and swallowed the remaining froth that had   
accumulated in the bottom of the bottle and set it down with a   
small thud on the table.   
He looked at Scully's drink which still had over half remaining   
and decided that two more beers should see them through to the   
end of the movie.   
She gave him a small hint of a smile that only curled her lips   
slightly as he moved towards the kitchen, grabbed the beer from   
the refrigerator and removed his bottle top before he made it   
back to his seat. Not wanting to humiliate himself for a second   
time by aiming it at the bin, he set it down next to the popcorn   
bowl.   
  
"Scully..." he began to ask her if she could pass the bowl once   
he had sat down, but was interupped by a loud "Ssshsh."   
Followed by a small grin escaping his partner as he did as told.   
  
"Mulder, I am trying to watch this." Her eyes focused on the TV   
as she spoke, picking at the bottle's label as the movie continued.   
  
He turned towards her, ignoring the movie and spoke in a high tone.   
  
"You like it now? An hour ago, I could have swore you called it a   
guy movie and turned your nose up at it in disgust."   
  
He leaned back in the chair, waiting for her to respond.   
He could almost hear the way her mind was working, carefully   
choosing the right answer that would almost certainly knock him   
back to his defeated role.  
  
She smiled and looked at him, "Yes, I did say it was a guy movie,   
but I didn't say I wasn't going to watch it."  
  
He lifted his eyebrows in a shrugging manner and decided that if   
she wanted to watch it now, that's what they would do. "If that's   
what you want, Scully?"  
  
"I do, thank you." She passed him the bowl to keep him quiet and   
resumed her focus on the television.   
  
The cream was slowly disintegrating as they sat in silence tasting   
more of the bite now. He wanted to talk with her more, get to know   
more of the new Scully that had been taking shape over the past few   
months. His insight into her past had been the starter, now he   
wanted the main meal. What does she want from her life?   
He hadn't been given the chance to finish their conversation   
on the couch that night, insomnia had eaten into that, and she   
had left before he had even got up in the morning. Pondering on   
all these things, he knew he would never bring up any of it,   
they didn't do that. Reminisce was a word that never entered either   
of their vocabulary's. Friends as they were, work intervened every   
time, building that oh-so trusty barrier that isolated their   
informalities. Maybe by inviting her here tonight, he had   
unconsciously wanted that barrier to break.   
  
The movie ended and a small sigh escaped from his partner   
breaking him from his thoughts.   
  
"Tired Scully?" he asked enquiringly, hoping that it was just a   
sound to slice through the silence.   
  
"Ah, just a little stiff from sitting here so long, I have to go   
to the bathroom." She put down her bottle and pushed herself from   
the couch.   
  
He watched her as she heavily moved towards his bathroom creasing   
her neck from side to side as she went. She'd taken off her shoes,   
just as she had done the night he had returned from England.   
Looking down at the small pair of shoes lined up perfectly, a   
smile emerged on his face. This was another image to be filed   
carefully beside all his other memories of her in his mind.   
Afraid of what she would say or do when she came back from the   
bathroom, he got up and took the empty bottles to the kitchen.   
He wasn't ready for her to go just yet. With the television   
switched off, maybe it would provide them with some time to just   
talk.   
  
Mulder's Bathroom  
  
Scully looked at herself in Mulder's mirror as she rinsed her hands   
and dried them off on his hand-towel. She didn't look tired, if not   
more she looked awake, refreshed. Maybe this was good for her, she   
thought to herself as she combed her hair with her hands. What she   
needs, a well deserved break from endless nights in motels or the   
apartment with so many ugly memories. There are still the memories   
in this apartment, but with company, they didn't cling as much.   
Unable to decide what to do next she stayed in the bathroom for a   
few minutes longer wondering whether to go home or stay.   
Going home was such a dreadful thought, back to the loneliness.   
But staying here might lead to further complications. She had a   
dilemma, and she had to decide quickly.   
  
Moving back towards the couch, she decided to leave.   
The clock was already ticking and they had endless amounts of   
paperwork to finish in the morning.   
Surprised to find Mulder not in the living area she was drawn   
to the kitchen where a few loud clanking noises had arised.   
  
Peering round the corner to the cooker she asked, "Mulder is   
everything okay in here?" folding her arms as her eyes asked   
the same question.   
  
Jumping slightly at the sound of her voice he looked up as the   
last pot fell out of his hands and thudded onto the wooden floor.   
  
"Sure, Scully. I was just cleaning up some of this mess and a damn   
cockroach frightened the life out of me."   
  
"Need any help?" she raised an enquiring eyebrow.  
  
He put the last pot in the cupboard and wiped his hands together.   
"Nope, all done here, you know Scully, living alone does have it's   
good points." He paused as he walked towards her.   
  
"What's that Mulder." She asked wearily unfolding her arms and   
raising her head further to catch his gaze.   
  
"Well, for starters, not so many dishes, and secondly no-one to   
tell you when to do them." He smiled as he brushed past her and   
moved towards the living area.   
  
Scully turned around to follow him, but remained in her position.   
"And that's a good thing? From the state of your apartment   
sometimes Mulder, maybe you could do with someone on your back."  
  
Good they were talking, it was banter and he still enjoyed it.   
If she would just sit down maybe she could give him a few pointers   
on how her apartment was always kept so damn tidy.   
  
Following him into the living area where he now sat on the couch,   
she didn't want to further this conversation. Mulder's living   
arrangements were not something she cared to explore. She would   
make her excuses and leave. Easier said than done when it came   
down to it.   
  
Moving towards her shoes she stopped. "Mulder, I should get going,   
it's late and we have work tomorrow." Bending down to retrieve her   
shoes he grabbed her arm to prevent her doing so. Looking at him   
with warning eyes he removed it and she continued to reach for the   
first boot.  
  
"Why, Scully, do you turn into a pumpkin at midnight?" he grimaced   
at his comment receiving a raised eyebrow from his not so humoured   
partner.   
  
"Your funny Mulder." Scully replied zipping the second boot and   
standing upright.   
  
He smiled and stood up. Knowing that he was defeated in trying to   
make her stay, he walked her to the door.   
  
Before opening it, she turned and lightly kissed him on the cheek   
which made his knees wobble just ever so slightly. "Thank you for   
tonight, I'll see you tomorrow." Turning a slight shade of red,   
she opened the door.   
  
As soon as his legs got feeling in them again he found his vocal   
chords, "We should do this again sometime, Scully."  
His voice were saying the words, but his mind couldn't really keep   
up. What was he saying, he hoped her response would be a positive   
one.   
  
"Are you asking me on a date, Mulder? She moved her head towards   
him in question and her eyes sparkled in the dim light of the   
hallway as she smiled that infrequent type of ear to ear smile.   
  
"Maybe I am." He hesitated moving his weight from one foot to the   
other nervously. Good she thinks I'm just kidding.   
  
She moved in closer to him, "I might just take you up on it."   
Grinning she waved behind her as she left and walked towards the   
elevator and hit the button causing it to light up.   
  
He watched her as she disappeared in the elevator and shut his   
apartment door. Relieved and surprised, he leaned against the   
wood of the door. He had asked her out, not intentionally at   
first, but it had just worked out that way. She didn't run a mile,   
he didn't even receive a slap.   
  
Maybe his strawberries had just changed to peaches.   
  
Finito  
  
Huge thanks to everyone who reads this - thanks for taking the time   
guys!!  
Let me know what you think - good bad indifferent, I'm a big girl,   
I can take it:) Danamaru1@yahoo.co.uk  
  
  
  



End file.
